Massive shelling of Ukrainian regions carried out by Russian forces
Russia is conducting a new massive shelling of Ukraine. Explosions were reported in the Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Khmelnytskyi regions of Ukraine. At least 21 people were killed in Dnipro. An air raid alert has been declared in all regions of the country. All the details in Novaya-Europe’s story.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, reports that a missile hit a multi-storey residential building in the city of Dnipro.
“At least one section [of the building] is gone, people who were spending the festive day (the Orthodox New Year is being celebrated in Ukraine today — editor’s note) at home are now trapped under rubble,” he writes.
According to initial reports, five people were killed, head of the Dnipro region Valentyn Reznichenko says.
9:30 UTC The death toll increases to 21, says Mykola Lukashuk, a local official. "A total of 21 people killed, one of them was a child; 73 injured individuals, including 14 kids. Thirty-eight people have been rescued, including 6 children, and 35 people are considered missing at the moment," he says.
12:15 UTC The death toll has increased to 23, Suspilne cites local officials.
According to Tymoshenko, 60 people were injured, 12 of them children. “The Russian missile that hit Dnipro today wounded seven children. The youngest of them is three years old. All of the children have been hospitalised. A nine-year-old girl is in critical condition,” he previously wrote.
He adds that 20 people have been rescued from under the rubble so far. Telegram accounts report that people’s screams can be heard from the scene.
Residents of the destroyed building are being evacuated using cranes, Tymoshenko adds. The people stuck in the building are using their mobile phones to be noticed by rescuers.
Photo: Kyrylo Tymoshenko
Over 80 emergency crew members and over 20 units of equipment are being used onsite, the State Emergency Service adds. “The heating network and water supply lines have been destroyed near the building. Gas has been turned off,” the agency adds.
“The Russian missile hit a building with 16 sections which housed about 1,700 people <...> The entire building was left with no electricity, gas, without windows. Basically, we have to provide over a thousand people with accommodation,” Tymoshenko writes.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has commented on the missile attack on Dnipro.
“Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by Russian terror! The world must stop this evil. Debris clearance in Dnipro continues. All services are working. We are fighting for every person, every life. We will find everyone involved in this terror. Everyone will bear responsibility. Utmost responsibility,” he writes. He has also posted a video of the rescue operation in Dnipro.
The death toll of Russia’s attack on an apartment block in Ukraine’s Dnipro has increased to 21
Head of the Kyiv regional administration Oleksiy Kuleba writes that an air defence system has been activated in the region. Furthermore, emergency power outages have been announced in the capital.
In Kharkiv, the metro has been stopped; a part of the city has been left without power, Telegram channel Strana UA reports.
Head of the Kharkiv regional administration Oleh Synyehubov says that there have been strikes on critical infrastructure facilities. “Currently, emergency blackouts are being implemented. Emergency crews are operating onsite. More information to come,” he writes.
In the city of Odesa, electric transport has been stopped. “Due to a decrease in electricity limits, public electric transport is concluding its operation. Rolling stock is returning to the depot,” the authorities’ statement reads.
In the Odesa district, a missile hit was recorded, Ukraine’s national broadcaster Suspilne reports, citing head of the Odesa district administration Yurii Kruk. According to him, debris from the shot down missiles hit transport infrastructure facilities used within the framework of the grain deal.
Head of the Lviv region Maksym Kozytskyi says that a missile hit a critical infrastructure facility. “Power and water outages are possible. Remain in shelters,” he writes.
In the Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, critical infrastructure facilities have also been damaged, spokesperson for Operational Command South Nataliya Gumenyuk and head of the Ivano-Frankivsk regional administration Svitlana Onyshchuk say.
Ukraine’s energy company DTEK says that two thermal power stations have been damaged in shelling, one of them has stopped producing electricity.
Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko clarifies that energy facilities have been damaged in six regions of the country — the Kharkiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, and Kyiv regions.
In Kherson, power has been temporarily disabled in several neighbourhoods of the city and 35 regional localities, head of the regional administration Yaroslav Yanushevych says.
“These are forced measures related to another missile attack by Russians — the operation of energy facilities has to be temporarily halted to prevent them from possible serious damage. Power supply was disabled for 98,462 customers,” he writes.
Emergency blackouts have also been implemented in the Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia regions of Ukraine.
During shelling of the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, that took place this morning, three people were killed, head of the Avdiivka military-civilian administration Vitali Barabash writes in a Facebook post. According to him, Russian forces shelled the city from several BM-21 Grad, among other things.
In the city of Kryvyi Rih, a missile fell not far from a critical infrastructure facility located in a private sector, head of the district military administration Oleksandr Vilkul reports. According to initial reports, one person was killed, while another was wounded. Six private buildings have been damaged.
As per the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic.
“After the massive shelling of Ukraine by Russia, this afternoon a border guard discovered missile debris in the area of the Larga checkpoint, in the Briceni region,” the ministry’s statement reads.
Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova
The ministry also says that an emergency crew as well as deminers and the BOMBTEH squad specialists were made aware of the situation. The Briceni region prosecutor’s office has also been notified. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and the local police are providing security in the area.
Representatives of Moldova’s ministry note that this is the third time missile debris has fallen on the territory of the country following Russia’s shelling of Ukraine.
Moldova’s Defence Ministry reports that air surveillance systems have not recorded any violations of the country’s airspace.
“In total, the enemy launched about 28 cruise missiles and five guided air missiles,” the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces writes.
According to the commander-in-chief, Russia attacked Kyiv using guided missiles S-400 (S-300) from the north in the morning.
Later, Russia’s Armed Forces shelled critical infrastructure facilities using high-precision weapons — air-launched cruise missiles Х-101/Х-555, Х-22, sea-launched cruise missiles Kalibr, guided air missiles X-59.
Ukraine shot down 18 cruise missiles and three guided air missiles, the commander-in-chief reports.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command adds that Russia also launched five Kh-59 missiles.
“In total, 25 out of 38 missiles of different types have been eliminated,” the agency says.
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